Blame, Responsibility and Justice
by CazzBlade
Summary: Colonel Sheppard is arrested offworld. Whump ensues...


I do not own SGA :(

**Blame, Responsibilty and Justice**

"On one final note, before they leave us, I would like to express our gratitude on behalf of all the people of Pelenea to Colonel Sheppard and his team from the city of the Ancestors. It has been a joy to work and trade with you and I hope our friendship will continue long into the future." A rousing round of applause erupted at the end of Senator Palus' speech making it clear that his words really did speak for his people and not just for him.

Sheppard raised his hand to placate the applause, offering both a thank you for their generous hospitality and a good bye.

"Time to go." Sheppard said to his team as they stood to leave.

"Finally." Rodney said under his breath.

"Rodney!" Teyla scolded, glaring at him for being unappreciative.

"Okay, they are good people, its just his speech was long, very long." McKay defended himself.

"Colonel Sheppard!" Someone shouted over the furore of activity.

John new that voice. "Senator Palus."

"Colonel," Palus said as he waded through a group of oblivious politicians, "may I have a word, before you leave?"

"Of course." John nodded in approval as he left his teams side to join the Senator. "What can I do for you?"

John had gotten to know the Senator well in the last few weeks and had come to respect him as an honest and good man. "I have a favour to ask of you on behalf of a friend."

"Okay." John said, encouraging the Senator to continue.

"Well my friend is the Second Minister of a people we know as the Balerons. They were culled a few cycles ago and are still struggling to recover, we have helped as much as we can; provided generous trade deals but there is only so much we can do losing too much ourselves."

"How do you think we can help?" John asked, intrigued.

"They can no longer provide for themselves, all of their plantations were destroyed in the culling and now their land refuses to grow the crops the Balerons' need to survive. My own people have taken a look but cannot identify the problem. Minister Valna and I were hoping that some of your ancestor technology, or just your unique approach," he said with a smirk, "might be able to recognise what the difficulty is so that they can continue with their lives." Palus explained with pleading in his eyes. There was no way John could flat out refuse to a man with such an open and honest face.

"I'll see what I can do." John said, not wanting to promise anything without clearing it first.

Palus visibly relaxed. "Thank you Colonel, that is wondrous to hear!"

John was just turning to leave when Palus caught his arm, still having one more point to make. "But I must warn you, even though my friend, Minister Valna, is a good man their leader the First Minister is somewhat difficult. I implore you not to judge his people on one man alone."

"Don't worry Senator, we're used to this galaxy by now."

…………………

"Why are we here again?" McKay asked as they walked away from the closing wormhole behind them.

"You were in the briefing with the rest of us were you not?" Teyla pointed out while still maintaining complete innocence.

"Yes, he was. He's just trying to be awkward." Sheppard told Teyla, ignoring McKay completely.

"I mean why are WE here?" McKay asked frustrated that no one would provide him with a straight answer. "Surely they need some Agriculturalist or Botanist."

Sheppard relented to explain again to McKay. "They do McKay, we are just here to make first contact, check out the people and the place and then offer our help, okay?"

"Humph,…" But before he could complain further Sheppard stopped in front of him.

"Okay, McKay?" He really couldn't be bothered to hear the whole 'wasting the resource that is McKay' diatribe again.

"Hum" McKay said which was about as positive response Sheppard was going to get.

Sheppard continued on walking but not before noticing the grin on Ronon's face.

"Senator Palus has informed his friend that we are coming so the good Minister should be waiting for us." Sheppard informed his team.

…………………

"Ah good, you must be the Lanteans." A large man, a size rivalling that of Ronon's, with a kind face greeted them as they entered the walls of a medieval style encampment.

"Yes we are and you must be Minister Valna." Sheppard greeted in return.

"Ha, yes." He said slapping McKay on the back in an over joyous jesture. "It is wondrous to finally meet you, Palus has spoken of you often." Sheppard could immediately see why the two men were friends; they both had an openness that was instantly likable.

"I must take you through to meet the First Minister, he will have heard of your arrival and be intrigued to meet you." Valna informed them as he ushered them towards two large bronze gates.

"Oh good." McKay said overly enthusiastic, which to Valna seemed genuine but the rest of the team knew the truth.

"Thank you McKay." Sheppard gave an unspoken warning to the socially inept scientist, before turning back to address the Minister. "Senator Palus spoke of your leader." Sheppard pointed out hoping to get a grasp on the man before meeting him.

"Humm," Valna smiled warmly, "I'm afraid the First Minister and my good friend rarely see eye to eye but I assure you that everything the First Minister does is in the best interests of his people."

"Good to know." Sheppard informed their new friend.

"Here we are." Valna said before turning to a guard, "Please inform the First Minister that the travellers who came through the circle are here to speak with him." The guard nodded and marched off to complete his task.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to relinquish your weapons, it is forbidden for anybody who isn't a guard to step into the First Minister's chambers so armed."

Sheppard reluctantly agreed, it didn't look as though these people had any weapons beyond swords and arrows anyway.

"I would try to make an exception for you but there was an assassination attempt recently so the First Minister would not abide it." Valna said regretfully.

"Understandable." Sheppard reassured as he dropped his last weapon into the large basket provided. He looked around to check his team had done the same and received a scowl from Ronon for his efforts.

The grand wooden doors opened in front of them with a squeak and scraped along the floor, as the basket was wheeled away. A small rotund man gracefully walked towards them with his hands behind his back.

"First Minister Shalke, may I present the contingent from the city of the Ancestors." Valna presented the team.

Sheppard took it on himself to introduce them individually. "I am Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," he gestered to McKay, "Dr Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagen and Specialist Ronon Dex." He had a feeling they went for titles here.

Shalke contemplated them for a second.

"I would be most grateful if I could speak to Sheppard in my chamber." Shalke requested starring intently at John who appeared to have been wrong about the whole title thing.

"Okay," Sheppard said tentatively, looking back towards his team, "we can do that." He said and stepped forward to move into the room.

…………………

The doors slammed shut behind Sheppard as Shalke paused at his desk. John looked from side to side at the four guards that had followed him through.

"You are Sheppard of the Lanteans?" Shalke asked in clarification, looking to Sheppard for a response, so he gave one. "Yes, that would be me."

"An old friend told me of you and your people." Shalke continued nonchalantly. Sheppard was unsure whether this was a good or a bad thing.

He soon got an answer. Shalke pointed at Sheppard, his glare now menacing, "Arrest him!" He ordered.

"What!" Sheppard exclaimed as his arms were dragged behind his back. He attempted to struggle but stood no chance against the four burly guards who wouldn't have looked out of place as Knights of the Round Table.

"My old friend was Cowen of the Genii," the menace in Shalke's eyes had now turned to satisfaction, "he told me of a conversation you once had, where you admitted awaking the Wraith." He glared at Sheppard daring him to defend himself.

_Damn_, he knew that would one day bite him on the ass. But there was no defence, what Cowen had been told was true, he had awoken the Wraith but he had not been at fault. He only did what anybody else would have done in that situation.

Seeing that he was not getting the response he was waiting for, Shalke continued. "You are responsible for the death of hundreds of our people, including that of my son."

Oh, now the real reason behind the vehemence becomes clear.

Shalke stalked up to Sheppard invading his personal space. "Do you know what it is like to watch your only child be fed upon by a monster?"

"No." Sheppard replied flatly, looking Shalke in the eyes. He could have told him that he knew what it felt like to actually be fed upon, the searing agony it caused, but he didn't think that would help here.

Shalke turned his back to him. "Take him away, sentencing is tomorrow."

…………………

Rodney was getting more anxious by the second, why were they taking so long and why did he want to speak to Sheppard alone.

"Would you be able to see how the talks are going, Minister Valna?" Teyla asked, starting to worry herself.

Valna battled with himself before coming to a decision, "Yes, I will, it is unusual for the First Minister to speak to someone unknown for so long on their own."

He stood and walked over to the doors, knocked and was greeted with a bellowing, "Come in."

Rodney could only see part of the room but what he could see didn't contain a certain officer. At least if he strained his ears he could now hear the conversation as the door had been left open.

"First Minister…" Valna began.

"Oh, the Lanteans, I had forgotten about them. They may leave." He said dismissively.

"But where is Colonel Sheppard?" Valna asked bewildered, he was used to Shalke being difficult but this was ridiculous, these people were here to help.

"He has been arrested."

"What!" Rodney screamed as he jumped to his feet, barging into the room to find Ronon and Teyla had done the same thing.

"Where's Sheppard?" Ronon asked bluntly.

"Like I said, he had been arrested." Shalke was acting like this was some sort of unnecessary distraction.

"What for? Why?" Rodney blurted out.

Shalke finally acknowledged the other Lanteans and looked Rodney straight in the eyes. "For murdering my son."

"But we've never even met you before, how can you accuse him of anything…" Rodney would have continued babbling if it weren't for Teyla's hand on his arm.

"First Minister," she said calmly, "Could you please explain why you believe the Colonel to have done such a thing?"

"Very well," Shalke returned to his dismissive state, "It is he who awoke the Wraith is it not?" Shalke asked, but everyone knew it was rhetorical. "Therefore he is responsible for the Wraith coming here and feeding on my people."

"One, your logic is astoundingly stupid and two, what has that got to do with your son?" Rodney wasn't letting Teyla shut him up a second time.

"My son," Shalke shouted, getting angry but calming himself before continuing, "was fed upon."

"Oh." Rodney said, feeling a small amount of pity for the man. "But you can't hold Sheppard responsible for that, the Wraith killed him, not Sheppard" He tried to reason but probably shouldn't have done it like he was talking to a five year old.

Ronon stomped up to Shalke's desk, placing his arms on it and leaning in towards the small man's face, looking as menacing as humanly possible. "Tell me where he is."

Shalke, however, was not intimidated in the slightest. "You may stay for the sentencing tomorrow if you wish." He said turning back to his work.

"Sentencing?" Teyla questioned.

"What about a trial?" McKay demanded.

"He does not deny his guilt, he awoke the Wraith." Shalke stated.

Ronon reached forward to grab Shalke by the collar but was accosted by the guards before he could do any damage.

Shalke stood. "Please leave."

…………………

John was pulled down a long corridor and thrown into a room of bare stone. The door slammed shut behind him and with his hands still tied behind his back he couldn't even attempt to open it.

"Hey" he shouted through the small bars in the door, "I need to speak to my people!"

He waited for a few seconds only to receive the answer he was expecting… nothing. _Great._

He looked around his cell to see if he could find anything of use to help undue the ties around his hands.

The room was completely bare of anything other than the stone walls that enclosed around him. But there was a small chunk of stone sticking out of the rough walls.

"That'll do." He said to himself as he backed up to it.

He felt around with his hands so that the rope lined up with the sharp edge, and began yanking the rope down.

"That's it." He encouraged himself as he felt the rope begin to fray. In his eagerness to free his hands he pulled down too far and the sharp edge slid into his skin above the wrist.

"Shit!" He grunted out, suppressing himself from shouting out and alerting the guards.

He twirled around, trying to get a look at the wound, but it was of no use. He couldn't get his eye line to meet his hands.

Its not as though he really needed to see, he could feel it wasn't good. He just needed the reassurance that he wasn't going to bleed out anytime soon.

As the initial jolt of sheering pain died down he was left with a burning sensation that resonated throughout his lower right arm.

"Suck it up John." He told himself, getting the motivation he needed to move back to the wall and continue the fight to free his hands.

He felt sticky blood drip into his palm at the first yank on his ropes. He didn't manage a second as the door to his cell flew open and his four friendly guards entered.

"Sheppard." The tallest and obviously highest ranked of the four called out.

"Who else were you expecting?" John responded snidely, well, what else did they expect?

"It was not a question." The guard pointed out.

"What was the point in saying it then, we all knew who was in here. Well maybe not Jim Bob over there," he nodded to the lanky guard nearest the door, "looks a few cents short of a dollar if you ask me." He knew it wasn't the cleverest thing to do, antagonising his captors, but one, he couldn't resist, and two, he was trying to keep them preoccupied as he gave one final yank on the rope tearing his hands apart.

Taking the head guard, Frank, as he shall now be known, by surprise he landed a left hook square on the big man's temple.

As guard number two lunged for him, John swung out his right foot to trip the guy in mid flight; John grabbed the guard's shoulder to help slam him into the floor.

He now had a clear run at the door. Focused on his only objective of escape, he failed to notice the third guard who punched him from behind, right in the kidney.

"Uh" He huffed out in pain. His brain still worked enough to instruct his foot to lift and meet the guard precisely where it hurt.

He stumbled to the door but was shoved against the stone wall by a shadowy form that turned into the gormless face of Jim Bob. "Oh come on, Jimmy, I wasn't being serious, you could be a Harvard genius for all I know." John rambled as he took a blow to the ribs. The next swing he anticipated and grabbed Jim's hand mid flight, but Jim was faster than he looked. He brought up a knee to take John's legs out from under him. John slammed to the floor managing to keep his head from bouncing off the stone. He wasn't given a chance to recover as a foot smashed into his ribs in the exact same place as the last blow.

"Ow" He groaned out as he crumpled up in an attempt to protect his midriff, and now tender ribs. The blows kept on coming joined by another foot belonging to the newly recovered Frank. Hard shoes connected with his arms and folded up legs.

Frank stopped to help up his fallen colleagues while Jim gave one last kick to John's kneecap. _Really picked you didn't I._

"Tie him back up and fasten him to the bars." Frank ordered.

John felt his arms being lifted and pulled up off the floor.

"We don't want him getting free again, he will face his retribution." Frank sneered into John's face as the other guards fastened him in place.

"You've just lost your meal, Sheppard." Frank said as a parting gift.

John glared back, not intimidated.

…………………

Minister Valna lead Teyla, Ronon and McKay back out into the market stalls of the courtyard.

"We need to get back to Atlantis! Bring Lorne and a bunch of marines!" Rodney felt sorry that his anger was coming out in front of Valna but the presence of other people had never stopped him expressing his feelings before.

"If you leave you will not be allowed to return, the First Minister has already recalled a battalion to guard the gate and the entrance to the city." Valna informed them.

"Well we'll just have to blast them, you've got what; swords and arrows." McKay countered.

"Rodney it is not these people's fault that their leader is misguided, we cannot punish them for his mistake." Teyla calmly expressed to Rodney, hoping that some of her composure would rub off.

However, it wasn't Rodney who replied. He'd learnt over time to appreciate the innocence of the public, it's the individuals who are the problem, unless they're Wraith of course, or Replicator and possibly the Genii. He just needed reminding of that fact occasionally.

It was in fact Ronon, who responded to Teyla.

"This is Sheppard. He would do everything he could for any of us." He growled, not in anger against Teyla but at the situation as a whole.

"I know that Ronon," Teyla gave him a warning glare, she would never leave Sheppard on his own even if it was the last thing either of them did, "Minister would you mind giving us a minute?" She graciously asked.

"Of course Teyla." He confirmed as he backed away, understanding that it was probably in his best interests not to hear their next conversation.

Teyla turned conspiratorially to her two comrades, keeping her voice low. "Dr McKay, as you suggested go back to Atlantis and get help. Major Lorne can fly a cloaked jumper through."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Rodney interrupted, clicking his fingers, before looking puzzled. "But how will we get inside the walls, there's nowhere for a jumper to land?"

"You will have to land outside, make yourselves look like the villagers and keep your weapons concealed, the guards at the gates will surely search you." Teyla informed him.

"Oooh, disguises!" Rodney perked up suddenly getting excited at the prospect, "Sheppard will be gutted he missed this!"

"Erm…" He flustered under the glare of his two colleagues, "under different circumstances of course."

Ronon's glare became a devilish smirk as he revelled in McKay's attempt to redeem himself.

Teyla moved on, "Ronon and I will try to regain our weapons, we will contact Atlantis after sentencing."

"Which is when?" McKay piped up.

"It is at dawn tomorrow, which according to Minister Valna should be in approximately ten hours." Teyla answered.

"Right… so we plan to have a plan by then?" Rodney stated in his usual optimistic manner.

"Yes Rodney." Teyla said.

……………………

John heard heavy footsteps bounding down the corridor towards his cell and braced for the impact of the door opening.

He needn't have bothered though as the door slowly squeaked open, inch-by-inch, until there was enough room for a person to enter.

Shalke stepped around the door, closely followed by Frank. He inspected John intensely before grabbing hold of John's chin and dragging it from side to side.

"Good." Shalke said still holding on to John's chin, forcing him to face his captors. John obliged, refusing to break eye contact with the man who had put him in this situation, "none of his injuries are visible." He let go of John's chin but kept up the starring battle.

"His punishment should not have begun yet, he has not being sentenced." He said matter of factly before turning towards the door and Frank, "do not let this happen again." With that he left. Frank yanked the door closed behind him, pulling John with it.

His injuries might not have been visible to the naked eye outside of his clothing but John could certainly feel them. With every breath his chest hitched and the longer he put weight on his right leg the more his kneecap ached and felt as though it was trying to rip away from the rest of his body.

He leaned back onto the door and tried to get as much rest as he could before the sentencing.

…………………

Frank broke the uncomfortable silence between him and his employer. "I will summon our finest archers for you to inspect First Minister."

"No." Shalke stated firmly, "It shall be by my hand."

"Sir?" Frank questioned bewildered by the Minister's choice. "The bow is not your greatest skill, surely you would want…"

"What I want," Shalke interrupted, "is retribution and I shall take it myself… for our people."

…………………

"This way?" Ronon asked as he and Teyla crept down one of the many corridors inside the First Minister's outer chambers.

"Yes, Minister Valna said it should be the second door on the left, just around this corner." Teyla whispered keeping behind the large Sateden.

Ronon peered around the corner to see three guards armed with swords standing outside the third door on the left. _Close enough._

"Third door." Ronon informed Teyla who nodded back.

"Valna said he could not be certain, we were lucky that he could get us in here unnoticed." Teyla felt the need to defend the Minister even though Ronon had not said anything to the contrary. Valna was a good man who was only trying to help his people, now he was helping Colonel Sheppard.

"Keep low." Ronon said as he bent to his knees and jogged lightly towards the guards. Teyla followed keeping an eye on their six.

The furthest guard turned in their direction just as Ronon and Teyla managed to duck into the edge of another doorway, the dimly lit corridor hiding them in the shadows.

Teyla peeked out to check that the guard's attention had been drawn elsewhere. The two sprinted out from their hiding place taking the guards by surprise.

Ronon jumped up, grabbing the furthest guard's sword as he leaped in the air. He jabbed the butt of it into base of the man's neck, knocking him out cold.

Teyla ducked low behind the first guard punching him in the back while removing his sword. She threw the sword down the corridor out of everyone's reach and kicked out at the guard's legs so that he fell down on top of her. She reached around his neck with one arm, gripping her wrist with her other hand, squeezing the oxygen out of his lungs. Before the guard gave way he fought back elbowing Teyla in her side but she held strong, keeping her arms in place until she felt the guard subdue.

Ronon had disposed of the third guard and helped Teyla to her feet after she had pushed the guard's dead weight off of her.

"You all right?" He asked as Teyla clutched her side.

"Yes, it will only bruise." She said through the dull pain. "I will be fine."

Ronon lifted his leg to smash the door in.

"Wait!" Teyla called, putting her hands in front of Ronon to prevent his actions. She turned over her palm to reveal a set of keys that she had removed from her guard.

"Hunh." Ronon grunted.

"It will garner less attention." Teyla justified herself.

She unlocked the door and opened it to find the basket full of their weapons.

She passed Ronon his gun who slid it down the back of his pants and pulled his shirt over the top to hide the handle.

Teyla procured their three 9mils, handing one to Ronon. "We must leave the P90's, they are to large to conceal."

Ronon nodded his approval.

……………………

John awoke as his door was tentatively opened. They couldn't afford to do more damage to their prisoner, not before sentencing.

Frank entered and undid John's hands from the door. "Time to go." He said and pushed John out of the door into the corridor where two more guards were waiting to escort him.

John was marched down the corridor enclosed by his guards, trying desperately not to limp on his now swollen knee.

It would be pointless to attempt an escape without the use of his hands and on one gimpy leg. But still the thought crossed his mind.

……………………

Ronon and Teyla stood among the villagers who were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the prisoner.

All the villagers knew was that this man was responsible for the Wraith culling. There was a mixture of reactions, some people took the news at face value and were fuming with anger wishing punishment that you would only reserve for your worst enemy. Others held firm in their belief that blame lie with the Wraith and the Wraith only; they could not be controlled or manipulated by anyone, certainly not by one man alone. However, the majority of them were simply confused, they had been given no explanation as to who the prisoner was or how he was to blame.

The crowd began to silence as three guards led out the prisoner. From afar John appeared well enough and Teyla could visibly see the defiance in him. He may struggle with his guilt for his part in waking the Wraith but they all knew he was not to blame for the Wraiths' actions.

First Minister Shalke led out a small contingent, including Valna, to a large platform constructed of wood that lined the corner closest to his chambers.

John was tied to a raised pole in the centre of the encampment. Easily in the line of sight of everyone there to witness.

He looked around the villagers before making eye contact with Ronon, quickly followed by Teyla. She willed him the strength to survive this, and hoped that he understood they were not going to leave without him.

He nodded to her to let her know that he was all right before his attention was pulled to Shalke. Shalke was clearing his throat in preparation for his announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of my fair court. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the Lantean people is guilty of bringing death and destruction onto your homes. All those who were taken from us in the culling were by his hand and he shall pay for the devastation he has caused." He looked John in the eyes. "You are sentenced to death, at day break tomorrow, by the bow of your accuser."

A small cheer and a round of groans erupted from Shalke's captive audience.

"Return him." Shalke boomed. Frank untied Sheppard before leading him back inside.

……………………

John was marched back down his now familiar corridor but they went straight past his previous cell and onto the next door.

Frank unlocked the door and shoved John in. John quickly regained his footing even if the harsh landing had jarred his damaged knee.

"Urg." He grunted out before surveying his new home, for the next few hours anyway.

"I don't think this is much of an improvement on the last one, I asked for an ocean view but this has just got the same grey stone and _no_ windows. This is not good customer service."

Frank ignored John's provocation but pointed out something he'd missed. "There is one small difference…" He reached up to pull an iron ring from the ceiling.

"Oh" John exhaled, a little stunned that he had not noticed it himself. "I definitely preferred the first room." He said, giving a half smile.

"Release his hands and tie them up there." Frank instructed his junior guards.

When John's hands were free he lashed out sending an elbow into the gut of the one guard and a fist into the face of the other. He turned looking to Frank's last known position but the guard was no longer there. John was caught off balance when a fist flew towards his nose.

He stumbled backwards managing to keep on his feet but Frank quickly grabbed his arms and pulled them above his head. As Frank secured John's wrists to the ring with a length of rope, he stepped closer. John could feel the guard's breath on his ear.

"We can damage you wherever we want know." Frank sneered and patted John on the cheek before leaving.

……………………

"Rodney?" Teyla enquired over the comm. as she stood next to the open wormhole to Atlantis.

"Teyla. I'm here, Lorne too." Rodney responded, obviously anxious, his emotions easily readable even over a radio.

Teyla looked to Ronon for reassurance before breaking the news.

"John is to be executed at dawn tomorrow." She began.

"They're going to kill him! Are they insane? Can't we threaten them, they know how powerful we are." Rodney clutched at straws.

"I do not believe that would make any difference." Teyla informed him.

"What's going to happen?" Rodney asked, accepting the inevitable.

"From what Minister Valna has told us he will be led out to a pole in the centre of the encampment; where we saw him today. He will be shot by Shalke using a bow and arrow."

"Right…" Rodney contemplated, "we'll be there in a few hours."

……………………

John could taste the blood on his upper lip. He just hoped that his nose wasn't broken. It didn't like it was but he was kind of distracted by the other pains in his body so he couldn't be sure.

He concentrated on his breathing. With his arms pulled up above his head and already damaged ribs, his lungs were heavily constricted. He could feel the beginnings of a stitch so he kept his breaths deep and even. He needed more oxygen to get to his muscles so that they were breathing aerobically again and then the lactic acid causing the stitch would die away.

The guards had left him alone for a good few hours so that the pull on his shoulders was feeling more like two lead weights.

He tried to turn his thoughts to happier times, but that just led him back to his team. He was pretty sure they hadn't been detained; Ronon and Teyla had looked quite free in the encampment but where was McKay? Did Atlantis know? Were they negotiating for his release, not that he thought they would get anywhere with that route of action.

The one thing he knew for certain was that they were doing something; they would not leave him here to die.

He'd finally got himself into a more positive mental attitude when the door to his cell clattered open.

……………………

Teyla and Ronon were waiting near the entrance to the encampment for the arrival of the rescue team from Atlantis. Minister Valna had once again put his trust in them and offered to meet McKay outside of the walls so that he could lead them in as expected guests of the First Minister.

Teyla watched as Valna, Lorne and several marines entered. Rodney followed them in clucking a small barrel, looking anything but inconspicuous. Thank God he's a genius, Teyla thought as she rolled her eyes.

……………………

Frank entered the cell, followed by his three goons.

There was a glint in his eyes that Sheppard hadn't noticed before. Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, he'd managed to make another personal enemy.

Frank carefully strode up to him and John braced for the inevitable blow. But it never came; John re-opened his eyes from the squints they had become. Frank wasn't there.

He sensed movement behind him and someone tug at the bottom of his shirt. They lifted and slowly cut a line from the bottom to top using a sharp knife. John's heart rate had sky rocketed, why couldn't they have just hit him and be done with it. He would have been able to rage against the pain. But this was slow, meticulous and creepy; it was starting to freak him out.

He felt the air on his exposed back sending a chill up his spine. The fabric was tugged and then yanked off him. His bare chest didn't get the opportunity to acclimatise before a bucket of freezing water was thrown over him.

John swallowed the water that came into his mouth; thankful for the first liquid he'd received since becoming a prisoner.

But the relief from the refreshment was short lived; he began shivering as the cold air met his water soaked skin. He wished more than ever that he had the use of his arms to wrap around his chest and feel a small amount of body heat.

Frank slowly paced round to look John straight in the eyes. John didn't like this new cool, calm and collected side of Frank. He much preferred the hothead, he new how to handle the hothead, rile them up and get the pain over with as soon as possible.

Frank turned the knife over in his hands still looking into John's eyes. He stepped forward and placed the blade of the knife under John's chin. John lifted his head as much as he could to pull away from the blade. However, he realised Frank wasn't going to do anything with it he was just messing with his head. Psychological torture.

Frank sneered but removed the knife and turned his back on John.

"You haven't got the guts have you?" John taunted and he noticed Frank pause momentarily. "Now that you can do whatever you want you're lost. You can't think for yourself, there's no creativity in you. Why don't you just let your boys at me, they clearly have more backbone than you!"

That was it; Frank turned and slammed his fist into John's gut making his stomach flip. Frank grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. "I did _not_ give you permission to speak."

_There we go, the hotheads back. _This John could deal with. He smiled through the pain.

Frank let go of John's hair and turned away to his right. He used the turn to build up momentum as his first arced round into John's cheekbone. The collision resounded through John's head; he pressed his eyes shut in an effort to squeeze out the pain.

He forced his eyes back open to see Frank shake his wrist. Now that took the edge off the pain, to know that it had hurt Frank's bare knuckles almost as much as it had hurt John, he could live with that.

Frank glared at him, trying to hide the pain. He reached out and brushed a finger along John's painful cheekbone. He pulled his hand away holding a finger up in front of John's face. He knew Frank expected him to be surprised by the sight of his own blood but it was nothing he hadn't seen before.

"Lets see if we can't do some more damage to your looks" John could see the aggression in his eyes. Frank backhanded the other side of John's face. The stinging pain was easier to handle than the headache inducing punch beforehand but it still left him with the taste of his own blood. He spat the blood out as close to Frank as he could get without actually hitting him.

"You know, I'm sensing some inadequacy issues, if you wanna talk, I'm not going anywhere."

Frank glared at him but didn't take the bait, or, John thought, he just didn't have the mental capacity for a war of words. He prefers to go in fist first, ask questions later, if at all.

Frank turned to his subordinates and opened his arms wide, "Boys" he invited.

Jim Bob needed no encouragement, he launched into the air kicking John in the chest and on the chin in one swift movement. John felt his bottom jaw jarr into his top teeth and was eternally grateful that his tongue hadn't been between them. The blows came in a blur as his head swam in daze. He could see the three guards dancing around him and feel each jolt of pain in his body but his mind was a scattered mess that failed to concentrate on reality. His eyes began to roll back into his head until they were snapped back to his cold, dank cell by the sound of Frank yelling, "Enough". Suddenly everything was back in crystal clarity, his eyes immediately drawn to the long, thick, wooden staff in Frank's grubby, blood stained hands.

Frank wasted no time in introducing the staff to John. He swung it back, adjusting his weight to control the heavy weapon, and slammed it into John's ribs. The air rushed out of him and John's eyes darted around in panic as his body fought to get his breathe back. His breathing was quick and uneven until finally a small amount of oxygen made it to his lungs. Once his breathing was back to slow and even he raised his head that had fallen dangling against his chest.

John's state of calm didn't last long as Frank slammed the staff into his lower back. John whimpered in agony as he clenched his teeth in an attempt to stop his back muscles spasming uncontrollably.

As John's back had settled to twitching he tried to focus his eyes. He saw the three goons snarling at him but no Frank. _Oh great another back bashing with the staff! _He braced for the inevitable but kept his eyes focused on the guards, defiant to the last.

He thought that Frank was giving him an unusually long time to recover and it worried him. The guards grinned, one of them even winked at him and he cringed in disgust.

He didn't like not being able to see Frank, it left him feeing vulnerable which made him feel weak. John knew he was anything but weak but Frank was doing a good job of persuading him otherwise.

His fears were justified as he heard the high-pitched sweep of a whip cracking hard against the floor.

He knew the guards had seen him flinch and that was exactly what Frank was hoping for. For John to feel ashamed and worthless. He wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

"You know," John breathed out huskily, "I bet that thing is a big hit with the ladies… or is it the other way around, you like being dominated Frank?" He breathed in heavily as he waited for a response.

John saw Jim Bob nod to Frank behind him. He walked up to John and smirked before pulling his leg back and smashing his heavy boot into John's injured knee.

John screamed with pain, he didn't care how it looked to the guards, he needed to release the agony he was now in. He kept his eyes closed until the pain subsided to a dull throb, in rhythm with his rapid heartbeat.

His eyes shot open, watering at the edges, teeth clenched in a tight lock, muscles tensed to burning point as he felt a sharp slash seer through his shoulder blades. The roar of pain washing throughout his body wasn't given the chance to subside as the whip came down again… and again. His brain tried to remind his body to breath but the message struggled to get through.

His back felt as though it was on fire with white-hot streaks of pure agony.

The whip lashed down for a forth time and John finally released another pent up scream that ripped from his mouth. Jim Bob chuckled as he enjoyed the pain being inflicted, John stared daggers at him in return.

Frank walked round to face John, he sneered and lifted the whip to show John the blood glistening and slowly dripping to the floor. The look of glee in his eyes disturbed John, how could anyone take so much pleasure when inflicting so much pain. It was a feeling John just couldn't comprehend; he wouldn't want to inflict this kind of torture on his worst enemy, not even Kolya! Granted some people did not deserve to live and in the eyes of he Baleron's he was one of those people but taking their lives should be to save those left behind not the enjoyment of some twisted beaurocrats.

Frank once again disappeared from John's peripheral vision and lashed the whip for a final time. John grunted in pain and whimpered as his breaths came out short and wheezy.

Frank threw the whip to one side before squaring up and punching John low in the gut, "Oufh," that really didn't help his breathing situation.

Frank lifted John's chin and smeared his own blood on John's cheek. His blue eyes sparkling with delight were focused entirely on John as he addressed his goons. "That's it boys, got to leave something for the First Minister to extinguish."

………………………

Teyla looked over to Rodney to make sure his explosives were ready. He'd snuck in some gunpowder in a barrel so all Lorne had to do was aim and shoot. Causing enough distraction and panic so that Ronon could shoot John's hands free while Teyla and the remaining marines, who were scattered throughout the crowd, could clear a path and extract the Colonel.

Rodney gave her the thumbs up and then moved to his lookout point, waiting to see Ronon and Lorne on the walkway at the top of the walls. Teyla breathed a sigh of anticipation and clenched her hand around the butt of her 9 mil, she didn't want to hurt any of these people, especially the civilians, but she would do what was needed to save John. She would do anything for him.

………………………

John blinked as his cell door was opened and bright light shone through.

"Time to go." Frank said as he stood in the doorway. The goons came in and released his arms before tying them behind his back. His arms no longer felt like part of his body, his shoulders and biceps were completely numb and he wouldn't be able to move them if he tried. The only way he knew for certain he still had arms was the pull on the wounds in his back.

"Wait!" Frank said, "put this on him," as he threw a shirt, similar to that of John's uniform.

The guards' manoeuvred his now untied arms into his shirt and then retied them even tighter.

He was lead out by two guards holding him up; their hands gripping under his armpits were barely enough to keep him upright as John stumbled his way down the corridor.

………………………

Teyla was pulled from her reverie when she saw John being dragged out to the stand in the middle off the large encampment. She was alarmed by how pale and fragile he looked. It was obvious he was having trouble with one leg and he seemed to be concentrating intensely on breathing.

Once at the centre they tied his bound hands to the pole. John gazed around without any focus until his eyes met Teyla's. He didn't hold it long as the First Minister paraded to his throne like chair.

Teyla glanced around, across to Rodney who must have felt her gave as he looked back and shook his head. Ronon and Lorne were not in their positions yet.

Teyla's concern grew; they needed this plan to work. Atlantis could not bare to lose the Colonel, the team could not bare to lose Sheppard and she could not bare to lose John.

A horn sounded and Teyla looked over to see First Minister Shalke pick up a large ornate bow and arrow. As he prepared a guard whispered something in his ear but it did not distract him from the matter at hand.

Shalke lifted the bow and arrow pulling the string back with a determined grace.

Teyla looked to Rodney to who shook his head again. _They should be there by now; they are going to be too late. _She looked over at John who was starring at Shalke, not at the arrow in his hand but at the man.

Teyla nearly screamed out in horror as Shalke released the arrow.

……………………

10 Minutes earlier…

Ronon and Lorne were creeping through the chambers to the stairs that Valna had directed them to. The stairs led out onto the ledge at the top of the encampment walls. There they would be able to get a good view of the village and more importantly a good view of Sheppard.

Ronon had his blaster set to stun, ready for any guard they would cross. Lorne had his 9 mil out as a last resort. If it was used it would draw the attention of everybody.

"Here we go." Lorne pointed out an alcove in the wall, hidden behind a life-size statue.

"Guard." Ronon said gruffly as he shoved Lorne into the alcove.

They clambered up the steep, narrow steps. As daylight crept in from the opening at the top so did the view of four heavy boots.

"More guards, what are they doing up here?" Lorne asked, exasperated; they were so close.

"Getting the best view; like us." Ronon stated matter of factly.

"We're going to have to take them out." Lorne whispered as they encroached on the boots.

"Yep" Ronon said as he pointed his gun at the nearest of the feet and shot.

One guard fell to the floor alerting the other guard to their presence. He jumped over his colleague and down the stairs, straight into Ronon. The two collided hard against the wall, Ronon's gun crushed between them.

Lorne used the butt of his gun to hit the guard in the back of the head. It took two attempts for the guard to slump to the floor.

Ronon extricated himself and climbed further up the steps only to be confronted by another set of boots. He looked behind him to check Lorne's position and saw the Major confronting another two guards bounding up the stairs.

………………………

Shalke adjusted his bow and arrow, not looking at the intended target until he was fully prepared.

Frank leant into the First Minister and whispered, "I have a master archer on hand sir, he can take care of this for you."

"That will not be necessary." Shalke said nonchalantly, as he raised the bow. His target now in sight.

He took a moment to look over the man who had caused so much pain and suffering. Before releasing the arrow.

………………………

10 Minutes earlier…

John was hauled out into the open by the two guards. Each step he took on his right leg, no matter how much weight he put on it, sent shooting pains up his thigh. He was grateful to reach the pole so that he could lean on his other leg. He was hunched over; trying to curl in on himself in an attempt to relieve some of the pain from his back and ribs but the attempt was futile. His back was too sore and his ribs were too tender.

He gazed around lazily before locking eyes with Teyla. He held her gaze for a moment but in that moment she gave him the strength he needed to continue, he would not give up on his life until it was over. He would not give up on Atlantis, his friends, her until the last breath escaped his body.

He watched as Shalke prepared his bow and looked him in the eyes as the arrow pointed directly at him. Shalke's eyes contained a raging intensity; the man truly believed that John was responsible for the death of his son. He was blinded by his own grief.

He was watching Shalke so intently that he didn't realise the arrow had been released until it was ripping through his right upper thigh.

He stiffened as a burning sensation spread out from the impact. He could feel the iron arrowhead embedded inside him. He needed to squirm to get it out but his mind was still working rationally enough to realise that it would only make things worse. Besides he was pretty certain he couldn't move that leg even if he tried.

Blood was seeping through his pants leg. Thankfully the arrow had missed the femoral artery or his pants would be saturated with it and he would be dead from blood loss.

John squeezed his eyes shut to prevent the water that had pooled in them forming tears. When he opened them he saw Teyla pushing through the crowd, forcing her way to reach him.

He glanced over to Shalke who was shaking with distress as he prepared another arrow.

……………………

Ronon and Lorne were still fighting their way through the guards when they heard a gasp from the crowd followed by a buzz of commotion.

"Damn it!" Lorne swore as he kicked one of the guards down the stairs who managed to take another one with him.

He heard Ronon growl with fury and when he turned round to assist the big Sataden, he saw the path was now clear. Seven guards lay strewn about the stairs as they climbed to the top and out into the open.

Lorne nearly collapsed with relief when he saw the Colonel still standing, tied to the pole. It was a good job his CO was one tough son of a bitch to kill.

Ronon was staring daggers at Shalke, if he wasn't needed to help free the Colonel then Lorne was certain he would have already gone over and ripped the man's throat out.

Lorne quickly focused on the task at hand. He aimed and shot at the barrel Rodney had set up. The barrel blew to smithereens but it was the booming sound that caused mass panic. People started running everywhere, looking for loved ones to check that they were okay.

The distraction had the desired effect as Shalke was now standing there in disbelief instead of readying his next arrow.

Ronon took the first opportunity he could get to shoot at John's bound hands. As soon as the shot left his gun three more guards appeared and barrelled straight into them.

……………………

Teyla was inching closer to Sheppard through the sea of people. She pushed them aside keeping her eyes focused on her goal.

She could see John was doing his best to stay conscious but his skin was getting paler and covered in sweat. She would give anything to take the pain away from him.

A bolt of red light flew towards the Colonel. Teyla looked up to see Ronon and Lorne fighting off the guards. Lorne was getting precariously close to the edge of the wall before he managed to shove his assailant over the edge.

She drew her attention back to John who now had his right hand free. He immediately reached down to put pressure on his wound and his face scrunched up in pain.

Teyla saw the two guards who had tied John up rapidly approaching him. She stopped and aimed her 9 mil at the one closest to John. She fired, hitting him square in the chest. He fell just a foot away from John who hadn't seen their arrival. He looked up in disbelief silently saying his thanks to Teyla.

She was just about to aim for the second guard when she was tackled from behind.

………………………

John saw Teyla take aim for a second time and turned to see another guard approaching, sword outstretched.

When the shot never came he looked back round but Teyla was no longer in sight. He would have dearly loved to keep searching for her but he could hear the guard right behind him.

John reached down to the fallen guard by his side and extricated his sword. _Right, just use it like a bantos stick, _he told himself, _you only ever manage to defend against Ronon and Teyla anyway, that's all you have to do here. _He quickly clicked out of his pep talk when he heard the whoosh of a sword swinging towards him. He used all of his remaining strength to raise the sword in his hand and block the shot. The extra strain on his leg was almost unbearable and he had to fight to keep from passing out.

The guard sneered at him and brought his sword around for a low blow. Dropping the sword was something John could do, so he managed to block the sword in the nick of time.

The guard changed tack, reining a series of quick jabs at John in order to ware him out. It was working too. Just as he felt like he couldn't move another millimetre he saw Teyla stood next to him, she shot, point blank at the guards' head. Rodney cringed from behind.

John dropped the sword, which clattered to the ground; he collapsed as much as he could with one hand still tied to the pole.

Rodney immediately went to work on freeing John's hand as Teyla reached her arms around him to hold him up from the floor.

"Mind… the back." John winced from Teyla's touch.

"Oh… John." She said as she instantly removed her hands. She was concerned about how quiet his voice was.

"Don't worry Sheppard, we'll have you out of here in no time." Rodney said in an unnaturally cheery voice. He was obviously trying to keep John's spirits up. John smirked at the ironic change in circumstance.

He felt two strong arms gently lift him. Now that was definitely not Teyla, he thought, nor Rodney for that matter. He lifted his head as much as he could manage, to see Ronon manoeuvring John's arm over his shoulder. Lorne tentatively took the other.

They started to carry him through the crowd, the rest of the marines keeping the remaining guards, who were now surprisingly low in numbers, at bay. John smiled inwardly; he knew his friends would come through for him.

As they approached the gates to exit the encampment John gently nodded towards Valna in appreciation. Valna nodded back, saddened but stern with resolve.

"What about Shalke?" Rodney asked.

"Lets just get out of here." John said between breaths.

……………………

John was laid on his side in the back of the jumper, keeping pressure off his back and right leg. Teyla was holding a bandage to his wound around the arrow and, along with Rodney, attempting to keep him conscious.

The jumper landed in the docking bay and the bulkhead doors opened to reveal Keller waiting by a gurney, her medical team at the ready.

They crowded around him instantly, a nurse replacing Teyla by his leg.

He looked round to find Keller but as he felt himself being lifted his eyes began to cloud over. The jumper and faces of concerned onlookers became a blur. As the pain slowly lifted he drifted away into darkness.

………………………

Teyla could barely keep her eyes open as she paced back and forth between beds in the infirmary. Her eyelids were waning but she refused to give in until she heard how John's surgery had gone.

Rodney was sat, scrunched in a corner, his laptop on his knee. He was typing away but Teyla was pretty sure anything he was writing would be gibberish. He was just using it to keep him distracted from thinking about what he couldn't get off his mind.

Ronon was sat on the edge of a bed staring into nothingness.

It had been four hours since they returned with the Colonel. He had been taken straight into surgery when they reached the infirmary with Keller shouting something about his kidneys'.

When the doctor had lifted John's shirt to see his chest and back Teyla had almost thrown up. His front was covered in a mass of redness developing into deep, painful bruises.

His back. His back was shredded to pieces. Long thin lines cut into his smooth, tanned skin. They crisscrossed and shone of dried blood.

Keller rushed out and nearly tripped over a chair.

She looked up embarrassed but her audience didn't care, all they wanted to know was the condition of her patient.

Rodney almost threw his laptop aside, "How is he?" He asked, just stopping short of being completely in her face.

She grimaced. "Well, we've managed to repair the kidney, it took a while but he's stable now. He's had several transfusions to combat the blood loss but other than that his injuries aren't life threatening. There is a very good chance of him getting through this. It will take a lot of time and effort though."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. "We will help him through it." Teyla said, it came out a bit sharper than she had intended but right now, now that she knew he was going to live, the anger was starting to build. John Sheppard had done so much for this galaxy and what does he get in return.

"What are his other injuries?" Rodney asked cautiously.

Keller looked up through thick eyelashes; she almost didn't want to say. She wanted to keep it to the good news that he was going to live but they had to know what they were going to be dealing with.

"He has extensive bruising, all over his torso, back, arms and legs… two broken and three fractured ribs. We've put three stitches in a cut on his face and five to one on his wrist, plus he's going to have a nice shiner to his cheek." She paused looking for approval to carry on seeing as nobody had said anything.

Teyla nodded and Keller hesitantly continued. "His kneecap has been completely crushed, he is going to need surgery in a couple of days to fix it. We removed the arrow and closed up the wound. He was very lucky that it didn't do more damage than just leaving a gaping hole and losing blood. It could have been much, much worse. His leg is in a bad way but I'm hopeful that with physical therapy he will eventually make a full recovery, so his military career should be safe."

Rodney's face fell at that, the prospect hadn't even occurred to him that John could lose his position from this. Could lose his wings.

"We have covered his back in antiseptic from the whiplashes."

"Whiplashes!" Rodney interrupted but Keller wasn't given the chance to respond as Ronon through a medical tray against the wall and yelled; his pent up frustration and anger coming to a head.

They all turned back to Keller who winced. "Yes, he was whipped. At least five times from what we can tell. The lashes aren't to deep but they will be incredibly sore."

"Thank you Jennifer." Teyla said warmly, her own anger had died down now and all see wanted was to see, with her own eyes, that John Sheppard was still breathing.

Rodney stood there in shock, unable to move as thoughts and images crossed his mind. Ronon worked hard to keep his anger in check while Teyla asked, "Can we see him?"

Keller nodded, "Shortly."

………………………

It felt like the infirmary had become their new home. Every spare minute was spent there sat by his bedside.

He had regained consciousness briefly before the operation on his knee, which Keller assured had gone as well as could be hoped for. It was down to John now.

John was laid on his side, there was no position for him to lie that would be completely pain free but this was the best one possible.

Awareness drifted into his subconscious and he could tell that he was hooked up to a lot of machines just through the noises. He attempted to pry his eyes apart but they refused. He almost fell back into the carefree black when he had a surge of strength, forcing eyelids to fly open. The sudden change in exposure made him blink furiously and moan as the pain from his various injuries hit him.

He could feel a hand gently squeezing his own and looked around to see his friends staring down. At once showing their concern and their joy that he was back with them.

…………………………

Keller rushed over to her patient when Rodney shouted that he was awake. She quickly checked his vitals and asked, "How are you feeling?" She could see the struggle within him on how to answer, or whether he had the strength to answer at all.

"Fantastic." He croaked out. Keller smiled; if he could manage to be sarcastic then she knew he was going to be all right. Nothing could break John Sheppard's spirits. And this galaxy had definitely tried its hardest to do so.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of you." She reassured him as he let go of reality once more.

…………………………

John walked out onto the balcony, leaning heavily on his newly acquired crutches.

Teyla turned around and smiled. "I see you finally managed to persuade Dr Keller to let you lose on those." She teased.

"Yeah." He beamed, on other occasions he would have hated to be forced to use crutches to get around, but after weeks of lying in a bed and then running around in a wheelchair they felt like a Godsend.

Teyla refrained from hugging him as she new it would still cause too much pain. He tried to hide it but Teyla always spotted the tiny winces that, at first, happened every time he moved. Gradually they became less and less frequent but she new he was not fully healed.

She couldn't help but beam back at him though. To see him standing there, looking _relatively_ healthy and happy, it filled her heart with joy. She had almost broken down when she observed him screaming in agony during his first PT session and whenever anybody went anywhere near his back, the look of anguish on his face was harrowing.

But he was strong and with his friends support he was nearing the home straight. He was back in his own quarters and even attending some management meetings. After much pestering on his part.

…………………………

He breathed in the fresh air, grateful to still be breathing at all, let alone in the city of the Ancients and with the most amazing people in two galaxies.


End file.
